I. Authorship

One question that arises when considering the authorship of Malachi is the identity of the prophet. Does the name of the book derive from the name of the prophet, or does malachi only suggest the role of the prophet as messenger? (The literal meaning of the word is “my messenger.”) Opinions differ and range from those who insist that there was a prophet named Malachi to those who are certain that “malachi” is not a proper name—that the book is anonymous. The latter view is generally accepted.